How to Fall in Love
by Shadowcat203 Akumu no Tenshi
Summary: It's hard to fall in love, but it's even harder when you're deemed unworthy; and that's exactly how Ed feels. After being adopted by Maes Hughes and finding himself in adversity, Fullmetal becomes isolated from the entire world. But luckily there's one man who will do anything to break down that barrier. Parental!MaesEd RoyEd. RATING MAY CHANGE! REVIEW REVIEW!
1. Chapter 1

**ETHIS IS A STORY WITH ME AND SHADOWCAT203 HENCE OUR NAME…YEAH…SO THIS IS CALLED HOW TO FALL IN LOVE. PLEASE REVIEW! TELL US WHAT YOU THINK!**

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"Come on, boys. My beautiful wife, Gracia, cooked a wonderful meal for us! We have to get back, before the food gets too cold." Hughes casually called for me, grabbing ahold of my luggage at the front door. Winry clasped her hands together, gazing absentmindedly at the wooden floorboards. The raven walked towards the car, tossing the green suitcase into the trunk. I glanced over a Winry, watching as a tear trickled down her slightly rosy cheek. Her bangs blocked my eyes from meeting hers, while she began to rub her forearm nervously. She was my friend, and seeing her act this way bewildered me. Alphonse conversed with Granny, but for some logical reason... I couldn't release Winry's person from my eyesight. I felt so disgusted with myself, knowing that I'd caused her tears.

"Winry?" I inquired of her, watching the young girl clutch a handful of her dress into both her small hands. She tensed slightly, before turning to meet my concerned gaze. I stared back. Those eyes showed nothing but anger. As I stared at her, dumbfounded by her anger, she grew more enraged, and began to quake. My mind went blank, and I couldn't fathom a damn thing to say to her.

_Comfort her, Ed! Tell her everything's going to be okay! Damn it! TELL HER HOW YOU FEEL!_

"Winry...I'm glad we finally got adopted." I announced unnecessarily, watching the girl lightly sob at my words.

_Fuck! I said the wrong thing!_

"Ed…" This elicited a surprised physiognomy to emerge upon my face. We sat on the comfy couch, isolated from the rest. Hughes continued packing our luggage and Al continued his gratitude speech. "...Just leave then." Winry spoke abruptly.

"W-what?" She briskly turned her anger towards me, digging her nails into the couch cushion.

"Leave and never come back then! If you're so happy you've gotten adopted…then LEAVE!"

"-Winry…I didn't-"

"Granny and I can take care of ourselves, we don't need you, Ed! We don't need Al either. Why don't you just leave? Leave like my parents did! That's all anyone in my life does! It seems like that is all anyone is good at, leaving!"

"Don't say that, Winry! I…I truly...didn't mean it like that-"

"Yes you did!" With my automail, I clenched and unclenched the limb, refusing to look at Winry anymore. We sat alone in silence dying inside from our own tantalizing dreams, wanting to make everything better, but the damage had been done. "Ed...I'm-"

"Edward, you ready to go?" Pinako asked patiently, drawing my attention directly to her. Hughes stood proudly behind her small and fragile body. I smiled lightly at the two, ignoring Winry's pleading eyes. I am ten-year-old Edward Elric. I take a challenge head on with no hesitation!

But I should have paid attention to her eyes. Her tears. I would've stayed if I noticed, but it's too late for that now. _Then again, why should I care? Should she not be happy that we got adopted?_

"Yeah. I'm ready to go." I embraced Hughes with a pleasant smile, walking towards the door. "Good bye, Granny." She waved. I came to a halt and glanced over my shoulder to look at Winry one last time. "Good bye, Winry." She scoffed at me and excused herself from my presence. I knew then...I'd lost a good friend. _No, if she were a real friend she would be happy. Maybe this was for the best. Maybe we were meant to leave this small town. Everything happens for a reason…right?_

_**CAR RIDE: NORMAL POINT OF VIEW**__._

"Hey boys?"

"Yes, Mr. Hughes?" Alphonse asked, his grey-like eyes shimmering.

"I know you are now in the military, Edward, but do you think you can handle it?" Hughes inquired as he glanced back at Ed before turning his attention back to the road ahead of them, "I mean, state alchemists are called off to-"

"To war. Yes, I know."

"Mr. Hughes?" asked Alphonse.

"Yes?"

"Have you ever been to war?"

Hughes sighed before answering his question, "Yes. Have you all heard of the Ishvalan Civil War?"

"Yeah, everyone knows about the Ishvalan Massacre," Edward said, "oh, and Ed is fine. I feel like I'm in trouble when people say my full name." Hughes laughed at this and put a happy grin on his face.

"Well, I was in that war."

"You mean massacre," Alphonse interrupted. Hughes' smile faltered for a moment, before submerging behind a blank expression.

"Yeah…"

"I did not mean to offend you! It is just some old friends of mine killed themselves because, their family died. Besides, you were following orders, it's not like you had a choice."

"Actually, I did, a choice to follow orders or not to follow. Unfortunately, I decided to be a good dog and follow them. I thought I would not have to kill. Naivety is what blinds us, you two."

"It is also what protects us from seeing a world as cruel as this one," Ed said.

"You know, for a couple of kids, you are way too wise."

"We know," the Elrics said simultaneously. Hughes laughed and the rest of the car ride was pretty silent. Of course there were the occasional questions like '_where do you live?_' or an '_are you nervous?'_ However, there was one question that was asked by Mr. Maes Hughes that stunned the two Elrics.

"How were your last foster parents?" Edward looked at him with wide golden eyes; the same with Alphonse except with grey. "Boys?"

"I-I'm sorry, Mr. Hughes. W-What did you say?"

Maes then hesitated before answering Alphonse's question. "Nothing… you two can forget I said anything."

"O-Oh. Okay, Mr. Hughes."

"You can just call me Maes or Hughes. You could call me your father if you kids are comfortable with it."

"Thank you, Hughes." Alphonse and Maes had their share of questions, while Edward remained silent. The train was not much either. Ed just sat there and watched as the country passed him by. '_Maybe this family will be different from the last. Hughes seems like a nice person…then again, so did that man._' The rest of the ride to the train station was quiet. Of course, there wasn't much to talk about. Only questions about what life was like for them after their mother had died. They answered hesitantly of course. Just about everything happened with their other foster parents. They talked about the Rockbells and how life was like there. What they normally did during the day. Edward answered the questions with a simple sentence, "I normally read alchemy books".

"I'm normally outside with Den and Winry, when she isn't focused on automail." Al announced.

"You must be quite the bookworm then, Ed."

"He is, but I don't understand why. He's good at virtually every sport. He could do anything he wanted. Yet, he chooses to stay inside."

"I like being inside, I feel safe inside."

"Nii-san…"

"I like being outside too though. The air is nice." Ed assured them.

"You know, you could come back here anytime you want. I would just have to make arrangements," Hughes said. Edward quickly declined.

"How come? Don't you want come back, brother?" Al asked.

"Too many memories. Maybe one day I'll come back, but not anytime soon. I'm sorry, Al. I'm just not up to it." Hughes looked at the two boys with wonder. '_What could have happened to them that was so bad they couldn't even come back here. More so __**Ed**__ than Al.'_

"Oh, okay, brother."

"You can come back if you want, Al, I just can't promise I'll be with you. I don't want to have to hold you back. I'm not your boss, but you still have to listen to me." Alphonse laughed at his brother and they carried on happily.

"So, is there anything I should know about you two?"

"Brother hates milk and has quite a colorful vocabulary."

"Oh really now? That is certainly interesting."

"Alphonse likes to bring home all sorts of animals. That may not seem to be a problem in East City but Al will find a way." Hughes gave a hearty laugh.

"If you two don't mind me asking, how did your mom die?" The boys froze up, but this time Edward was the one to speak up first.

"The massacre took her from us. Many people in Resembool lost family and friends because of it. I guess that's why not many people like the military over here." He said, before returning to their previous activities. Edward wasn't really doing anything but looking out the window. The younger Elric was doing crossword puzzles while Hughes was going through pictures of his wife. Edward sighed softly.

_'Maybe this will turn out right…for once.'_


	2. Chapter 2

**SORRY PERSONS/PEOPLE! AS SOME OF YOU KNOW WE BOTH HAVE MULTIPLE STORIES SO WE DIDN'T UPDATE AND WE ARE TERRIBLY SORRY! HERE IS CHAPTER TWO OF HOW TO FALL IN LOVE!**

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Hughes escorted the two boys towards his apartment, occasionally glancing in their direction. Each boy examined his surroundings, mouths agape in their own indulging thoughts.

"All this is yours?" Alphonse asked as he dragged his luggage behind him. "It's _huge!_" Maes smiled at that. He then turned to Ed who didn't seem as impressed as his younger brother.

"Ed, are you okay?" This startled the blonde, but he assured Hughes that everything was just fine. Hughes noticed the slight hesitation, but decided it'd be best if he didn't question him. They walked together, the elder man making sure that his kids stayed close behind him.

_'Alphonse is a bright spirited child, while Ed's the more quiet one.' _Maes thought. The intelligent official continued to think to himself, as the trio ventured down the wide hallway to his apartment. Even though it was called an "apartment" it did contain a fairly deceit size for a family to inhabit. "What do you guys want to do?" Hughes inquired of the boy's once they reached his front door, slowly pulling out his house key.

"Can we eat popcorn and watch movies?!" Alphonse happily inquired, bouncing up and down. Ed scoffed at his brother's enthusiasm, but assured Al they'd do anything he wanted. Once again the man sensed a very dark aura radiating from the older Elric, and it perplexed him. The key was inserted and twisted, eliciting the door to unlock then open. Garcia sat elegantly upon the soft love seat, smiling broadly as the two brothers appeared before her. She rose slowly wiping away wrinkles from her dress. Alphonse ran up the pretty woman stretching out his hand to shake hers.

"Hello miss, my name's Alphonse and this is my brother, Edward." The younger Elric grabbed Ed, forcefully pulling him towards his side, which elicited the boy to yelp. Ed blushed as the woman smiled at him, evading her gaze as something caught his eyes. A photo of two men sat adjacent to him on a glass table. He examined the photo, starting intently at man with the small French looking mustache.

"That's my friend, Roy Mustang, Ed." Hughes abruptly announced unsuspectingly. The blonde slightly sized up his adoptive father, and then nodded to assure the man that he understood.

"Oh my! Are you boys hungry? Dinner is still cooking in the oven. By the way I'm-"

"Gracia!" Al added. Ed refused to take his eyes away from the photo. That man looked so familiar, but he couldn't recall where he'd encountered him.

"Hughes, is this man apart of the military too?" The man pushed his glasses further upon the bridge of his nose, before crouching down to become leveled with the 10 year old.

"Yeah, he's an alchemist... Just like you." Ed whipped his head in Maes' direction, letting the newly processed information seep in. This not only bewildered him, it fascinated the child just as much.

"So he knows alchemy? So I'm not the only one?" Hughes shook his head.

"He's a flame alchemist. Roy's able to create flames from mid air, by snapping his fingers."

"What?!" Ed's eyes had widened in incredulity as Hughes smiled and nodded.

"The fabric his gloves are made from works as a great ignition. They spark from the nitrogen found in oxygen. Pretty cool, huh?" Hughes mentally gave himself a high five for finally being able to relate to Ed. Alphonse could easily relate to anything, but at the moment he was learning cooking tips from Gracia. Ed pondered to himself, flexing his automail occasionally. Flame Alchemist? How come he never knew they existed before this? He and Al did all that research and not once did it say anything about Flame alchemy.

"What happens when it rains? Can he still create flames?" Hughes chuckled at the question, and rested his hand upon Ed's small shoulder. The child tensed at the feeling, eliciting Maes to arch an eyebrow in concern.

"Something wrong, Ed?"

"N-No... You just put too much pressure on my shoulder...that...that's all." Hughes wasn't a fool. There was something wrong with Edward and physical contact, but he decided not to question him.

Then again, he noticed a lot and needed clarification fast!

"Did someone hurt you?" Ed arched an eyebrow then shook his head.

"Why would someone hurt me? I've been living with Pinako and Winry almost all my life." Hughes sighed then decided that he made the stupidest accusation possible.

"Honey. Ed, dinner's ready!" Gracia called from the kitchen. The two exchanged hungry glances before walking together into the kitchen. Everyone except for Ed sat at the table consuming the fine meal. Gracia was the first to take notice to Ed's refusal to eat.

"Ed, honey... Why aren't you eating?" Hughes glanced up at this who noticed the problem immediately, but continued watching as Ed stare absentmindedly at the bowl of macaroni and cheese, with milk trickling down the side. Alphonse smiled lightly.

"He doesn't like milk-"

"Alphonse! Do you have to tell every damn thing?!" Ed retorted, causing everyone at the table to gasp in disbelief.

"Brother? I-"

"Just eat your food." He murmured. He could sense the man analyzing him, but Ed was smart now. He was not going to trust these two so easily, and he learned that the hard way when their previous adoptive parents came into their lives. Not everyone in the world is dangerous and deceitful, but Ed sure as hell wasn't taking any chances. Not just yet.

"Well, Edward, whose command are you going to?" Gracia asked. Edward looked up at the ceiling as he thought.

"Actually, I don't really know…oh well, I can find out tomorrow."

"Ed, you might end up with Mustang. Although, I would much rather have you under someone I know, I don't want that pervert around you two. Then again, it's not really my choice." The last sentenced enlighten Ed, drawing his gaze abruptly upon the man, once he forced a forkful of food in his mouth.

"Mustang, huh? Oh crud, he's a pervert?" He inquired of the raven, arching an eyebrow in bewilderment. Hughes nodded, which then elicited the blonde to scoff then chuckle inwardly.

"Maybe I can knock some sense into him. I seem to do that well with lectures."

The other three occupants of the room laughed at the blonde boy. "He needs to find himself a wife," the bespectacled man said. Ed and Al gave a face that said '_what?'_ and then laughed, or rather Al laughed and Ed gave a slight chuckle along with a small smile.

"Oh wow. So, we get to meet the lecherous Roy Mustang tomorrow. I will get my own view of him. What else is he like?" Ed asked.

"He is an idiot, but maybe one of the smartest people I have ever known," Maes said.

"Hey, that sounds a lot like you, brother!" Al exclaimed, shocking Ed with how loud he exclaimed.

"Hey! In my defense I am not that stupid!" he retorted, forcing another forkful of food to enter into his wet cavern, despite the distasteful milk that dripped on his tongue.

"Whatever. You remember when we were at lunch and you thought-"

"SHUT UP! THAT WAS COMPLETE-" he interrupted, dropping the fork as he began to get agitated by his younger sibling.

"Stupidity." He retorted nonchalantly, taking a bite from the food Gracia prepared.

"Whatever." The elder Elric announced before he scoffed and rolled his eyes.

"What happened?" the married couple asked simultaneously.

"Let's save that story for another day…" Ed demanded, pushing the plate full of food, towards the center of the table before folding his arms against his pectoral muscle.

"Okay…?" the Hughes' said.

The rest of the meal was filled with stories, told by Alphonse of course, while the older Elric brother had his mind on something else.

'_I wonder how people in the military are? Are they nice? Well I guess not after all that happened with Ishval. Then again, so far Mr. and Mrs. Hughes have been nice to us…I'm just not going to let my guard down for a while. I need to get a feel of things first,'_ Ed thought.

**THE NEXT DAY…**

Edward, Alphonse, and Lieutenant Colonel Maes Hughes walked through the corridors of East City Headquarters. Their destination: Lieutenant Colonel Roy Mustang, The Notorious Flame Alchemist. They walked through the front door in which all eyes were on the three people that stood in the doorway (Hughes stood boldly, while the two brothers analyzed his surroundings). A woman with blonde, short hair walked up them and introduced herself.

"Hello, Lt. Colonel Hughes." she noticed the two kids, smiling graciously. "Hey boys, you must be the Elric brothers." She then outstretched her right hand to them. "I'm Lt. Hawkeye."

Ed gawked at the hand, bombarding his mind with antagonizing reasons why he shouldn't touch her, and when he finally found the perfect excuse, Alphonse beat him to the punch. Grasping the woman's hand, Al smiled and introduced them.

"I'm Alphonse, and he's Edward, but call me Al." She smiled and glanced over at the older blonde.

"What should I call you?"

_'nome of your damn business.'_

"Ed." He stated sternly. The doors opened in the distance and out of the darkness stood the Flame Alchemist himself! Ed gawked at the raven, staring intently at the gloves that Hughes spoke of. Edward was astonished to see a real flame alchemist, and he was sure to learn of this _"Flame Alchemy"._ Right when he mustered up the courage to speak, the raven abruptly cut his sentence short.

"Umm, M-"

"-Hughes, you're late."


End file.
